WILMINGTON --- Frustrated Silver Lake neighbors heard from town officials Thursday night that the town beach could not be restricted to resident-only access, despite their concerns about disruptive out-of-towners.

After an unusually busy beach season last year, the town is weighing a series of proposals to address issues at the beach, including large crowds, a lack of cleanliness, drinking and smoking and other disruptive late-night activities.

"I don't want to give anybody false hope and tell you it will be 1950 again at the town beach," Police Chief Michael Begonis said. "This is not going to be a magic wand and we're going to tap it and the lake is going to be perfect. It's going to be a work in progress, and we're going to do the best that we can."

Proposed regulations include:

*A one-year trial of a no-swimming rule at the Baby Beach portion of the Silver Lake;

* Prohibiting of dogs on the beach from May 1 to Oct. 1;

* Pushing back the beach closing time from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.;

* Extending beach season further into August;

* Increasing the price of nonresident day passes to $10, and eliminating non-resident season passes;

*Closing the main beach when crowding presents a safety hazard;

* Installing a gate at the main beach;

* Restricting parking along Grove Avenue.

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Around 40 residents attended a forum at Town Hall Thursday night, where Town Manager Jeff Hull, Assistant Town Manager Kendra Amaral, Begonis, Beach Supervisor Andrea Gillis, Recreation Director Deborah Cipriani and Department of Public Works Director Mike Woods sought their input on the proposed regulations.

Many said they wanted to see the beach become a residents-only facility, sharing stories of beachgoers from out of town stealing or damaging their property, getting drunk or gathering in large, loud crowds after the beach closed for the night.

"We have people, as soon as the beach closes, going to the bathroom against the fence," said Pond Street resident and lake abutter Mike Tkachuk. "It's not residents from Wilmington. These people aren't bashful about doing their business."

Tkachuk and other abutters who spoke said they were concerned for the safety of their children.

Access to Silver Lake can't be restricted because of the body of water's size, Begonis said. The lake is classified as a Great Pond, which under state law must be open to the public for fishing and boating.

Officials and residents said they'd seen problems at the beach escalating for years, culminating with last summer, when Begonis said officers would leave an empty beach at night and then need to return five minutes later for a report of a destroyed bench.

"The last five years or so, there's been a really serious decline," said former Fire Chief Dan Stewart, who spoke on behalf of a group of distance swimmers who train in the lake. "We'd come out of the water early in the morning, and the beach would just be trashed from the night before. That's wrong."

Hull said the town wants to strike a balance with any new regulations, keeping the area peaceful for abutters and enjoyable for beach-goers.

There is no set date yet for when any new regulations will be decided on or enacted, Begonis said.

At Town Meeting on May 3, voters will decide whether to authorize the Police Department to levy non-criminal fines for violations of beach rules and regulations. The first offense would carry a $100 penalty, with $150 for subsequent offenses.

Begonis said officers at the beach are often stymied by a lack of enforcement power. He gave the example of people walking dogs in what are supposed to be pet-free areas. Officers will ask them not to, but they'll often return when they realize there are no consequences.

"If we don't have a specific bylaw that says we can take an action, there's little we can do except suggest that the dog leave the area," he said.

Hull's office is collecting feedback on the proposed regulations through March 24. Comments may be mailed to him at Town Hall, 121 Glen Rd., Wilmington MA 01887 or emailed to townmanager@ wilmingtonma.gov.

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